


Just kiss me, it's for charity!

by cherrylng



Category: Coldplay (Band), Muse (Band)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Boys Kissing, First Kiss, Fluff, Humor, Kissing Booths, M/M, Mild Language, Snark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-14 03:17:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10527717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrylng/pseuds/cherrylng
Summary: In all honesty, Matt has never pictured spending his summer holidays to be partly spent manning a kissing booth





	

In all honesty, Matt has never pictured spending his summer holidays to be partly spent manning a kissing booth. He could’ve used the time to find a part time job to do, and he is doing that since he’s staying over in London instead of going back to Teignmouth to do fuck all for his University break. But before he was going to search for one, fate intervened and put him into doing voluntary work for charity. And by fate, he meant a friend of his named Kelly.  
   
Kelly had called in sick the night before she was supposed to do her volunteering assignment, and begged for him to take her place whilst she tries to get better as soon as possible. When questioned, she tells him that the reason why she picked him is she up and honestly said it’s because he’s bisexual, and because the assignment involves a kissing booth. And she has surmised since he is sexually attracted to both men and women, that it meant that he would be practically be okay with kissing anyone of any gender and also pull in more people to donate and participate.  
   
He would have argued at Kelly for taking advantage of him and using his bisexuality for such blatant purposes, but he has to admit that she is cunning, pouncing it on him just a day before the event and using that piteous voice of hers to make him go from being stubbornly refusing to reluctantly saying yes. Second, it does give him an excuse in staying out of the flat and that Kelly has agreed to give him free food for a week after the event.  
   
The job hunting will have to be delayed till then.  
   
The kissing booth is a weeklong event, corresponding with a local market festival. The charity organisation is a local one that helps, support, and shelters women and children in need of help. It’s not so bad of a gig. He’s basically kissing anyone who is interested in doing it, it’s for charity, and it’s going to be useful to add into his CV to show that he did voluntary work.  
   
He isn’t going to have much trouble manning the booth by himself, mind you. Kelly, with her foresight, has put in Lucy -a fellow volunteer- as an emergency for Matt in case things don’t go as planned, in which by that it means if the locals are not that accepting of getting kissed by a man, and the kissing booth can be salvaged.  
   
Compared to other ways of making donation drives, this one is more fun for Matt. So far, since he’d opened up the booth, the bucket has been steadily gaining notes and coins, and he has kissed several people of any gender and of a wide age range. From a cheery elderly lady who was modest enough to take a kiss by the cheek to a gay couple who were more than happy to smooch him silly, and those were the interesting ones on the first day alone.  
   
But the most interesting person is the one that Matt is just bemused by the sight that he is witnessing right now. There’s a guy right in front of him who is fidgeting as though he wants to bolt from where he is standing but can’t, struggling in trying to figure out what to say to the person manning the kissing booth.  
   
Matt gives a scrutinised look at the man. Blond man with curly hair, tall. Looks more or less around the same age as him. Most likely a Uni student like him, but from some other one as he is not someone Matt had seen around in his own Uni. And, if he daresay, a cute and fairly his type of guy.  
   
“I’m here to donate.”  
   
“I can see that,” Matt says, grinning.  
   
“And obviously getting a kiss in return,” the man says, which Matt suspects that he’s talking more to himself than to him.  
   
Still, Matt gives a mechanical nod. “Yes. That’s why you’re at a kissing booth.”  
   
This results in the tall blond man to squirm, nervous energy oozing out of him and Matt has to bite back a giggle.  
   
He knows he should feel bad for poking fun at the guy, but god, he couldn’t resist the temptation once he sees how squirmy he can get yet is still standing right here like some sort of masochist. He kind of reminds him of his friend Dom, only rather than looking cool, part of this guy’s charm is how dorky and cute and awkward he is.  
   
He couldn’t be standing here wanting to not _be_ here and yet has to unless some unknown higher power guided him here and made him stay. That, or a much closer, much more realistic plausibility that involves other people.  
   
“Don’t mind if I ask, but… You’re here on a bet, aren’t you?” Matt inquires.  
   
By the incomprehensible words jumbling out of the blond man’s mouth and the panicked look on his face, Matt takes it as a solid yes.  
   
“Look, how about if I just put the money in and we’ll call it a day?” the man says, trying to negotiate his way out of getting a kiss.  
   
By the rules drilled into his head, Matt can say yes and let him do so to escape further embarrassment. He had done so for several others who wanted to donate but didn’t want a kiss in return. But where’s the fun in telling him that? And further, he wasn’t the one who betted on the blond man come here and kiss him, so negotiating with him would sort of make it a moot point.  
   
“Now that would take away the purpose of this kissing booth, now wouldn’t it?” Matt teases, chin resting on laced fingers. “Then this will just be an ordinary charity donation booth with nothing in return for donating. Aside from goodwill.”  
   
That results in the blond man getting even more tongue-tied and stuck in a dilemma that is handed to him.  
   
Deciding that he’s done with teasing the poor man, Matt says to him, “Look, it’s not going to be a horrifying experience in kissing me, otherwise I wouldn’t be here in this kissing booth. If you want, I’ll guide you through it and then you’ll be done before you know it.”  
   
After taking time to consider his (generous) offer, the blond nods.  
   
“Okay.”  
   
He pulls out a five-pound note and inserts it through the slit on the top of the bucket.  
   
Standing up, Matt keeps a grin on his face as he helps the blond man in what is most likely a bet that he was set up on.  
   
“Now relax, and just close your eyes,” Matt says softly to the blond man, only leaning in and placing his lips after the other man had followed his order.  
   
It’s pretty much a chaste kiss, in Matt’s opinion, their lips touching for a scant few seconds and it was done. Nothing horrible out of it. And somewhat better is that the other guy has not gagged or done any acts to show his disgust.  
   
“See? Wasn’t so bad like I said, and you just got well-rewarded for donating to a good cause,” Matt says.  
   
He doesn’t give Matt a reply, for he looks as though he’s in shock. Most likely shocked by the fact that he really _did_ get kissed by another man, is what Matt can only surmised.  
   
“If there’s any conciliations that you want to hear,” Matt continues. “I say you were a lot braver than the rest of them who put you here.”  
   
That finally got the man’s attention back, and he grins brightly at him, and god, he’s really cute.  
   
“Thanks, and err... have a good day,” he says before he makes his leave. Such a shame that he didn't introduce himself and get his phone number before he left so quickly.  
   
A few hours later, and a few more kisses given to several customers, including a sweet little girl who donated a fiver and got a hug and a kiss by the cheek for it, the blond man has returned to Matt’s booth.  
   
“Hello,” Matt greets him. “Back for more, or did the first kiss didn’t count in that bet?”  
   
“A… a bit of both, sort of,” he mumbles.  
   
“Both? So this second time appearance is a new bet? Or did the previous one didn’t count and this is a do-over?” Matt inquires.  
   
He sighs, and starts to confess to Matt. “The first time was really a bet, like you said. But I came here out of my own choice this time.”  
   
“Because…?” Matt asks. He feels that there’s an excuse behind his return.  
   
“Because the first time was due to peer pressure, I was forced into something that I felt that I wasn’t ready for,” he answers truthfully, which is more than impressive that he’s telling this to Matt, a complete stranger. “And I came back because… I wanted a do-over and not do this out of a wager. And I didn’t catch your name the first time I came around… for your services.”  
   
Matt gives a bright grin, and holds his hand out. “I’m Matt.”  
   
Matt’s hand is grabbed and shaken as the man introduces himself as Chris, a name that is also shared by Kelly’s boyfriend.  
   
“So… Back for my services, you said?” Matt’s grin turns into a smirk.  
   
This time, Chris pulls out a ten-pound note and slots it into the bucket.  
   
“I am,” he says confidently.  
   
“At least you now know that it’s not as bad as you thought.”  
   
“Yeah.”  
   
They then stand still, looking face to face with the only thing between them is a table. Seems as though the confidence that Chris briefly displayed just moments ago has been deflated quickly after.  
   
“So…”  
   
“So.”  
   
More feet shuffling, mostly from Chris’ side.  
   
Finally, Matt rolls his eyes and says, “Just c’mere and give me a kiss.”  
   
And Chris does.  
   
\-----  
   
When the next day rolls around, Matt doesn’t know whether to be surprised or amused that Chris has returned to his booth. They quickly settle into a routine of sorts. They greet each other, have a short chat, then Chris puts money into the bucket and they proceed to kiss. After that, there isn’t much time for a chat before he’s quickly gone.  
   
And he does it again, and again, and again. And frankly, by the third day and yet another appearance of Chris, Matt is thinking that someone is trying to tease him this time around. Even Miriam, a middle-aged woman who sells homemade jams and preservatives in a booth next to the kissing booth, commented on how he has Chris wrapped around his fingers so easily.  
   
 _Almost_ have him wrapped around his fingers, Matt has corrected to her, for he has yet to catch Chris long enough to get his number or flirt with him into getting a date with him.  
   
Chris is more confident than the first time he kissed him as he keeps returning to kiss Matt. There were a few times that Matt has to stop by his own volition, no matter how reluctant he was to do so, as the kisses got a little too heated. There were a couple of times when he had to pull away as tongues got involved and it could have evolved into a full-fledged makeout. If he weren’t doing this for charity and that he’s doing this out in a public space, Matt would have pulled Chris away to somewhere more discreet for some actual tongue-on-tongue action.  
   
He’s not in the position to tell Chris what to do with his money, considering how many times he has returned to the booth, but he’s willingly parting with it for charity in order to kiss Matt, so what does he have to argue against it?  
   
On the fourth day, however, Matt is no longer manning the kissing booth. Kelly is fine by now and can retake her original role once more. He’s a little sad that he no longer needs to be there. He liked his role of giving kisses, especially to a certain blond cutie. What upsets him more is that in those three days being in the kissing booth, he never once got Chris’ phone number, much less his surname or which Uni he is studying at. So their time together was so brief, so memorable.  
   
Or at least, he thought that way.  
   
His plan to stay at home to do whatever he wants was abruptly aborted when during the afternoon, a phone call from Kelly came. She told him that there is an emergency and she needs him to come to the booth as soon as possible.  
   
He really thought that it was a serious emergency by the urgent tone that she gave to him. So imagine to his surprise to find a grinning Kelly sitting in the booth, with a nervous Chris standing by it.  
   
Kelly is giving him a knowing and wicked look, pointing at Chris with a thumb and mouthing to Matt ‘You scored this cutie?’ She definitely has questions of what the hell he did for the past three days, and probably extracted some information out of Chris to have mouthed those words at him.  
   
He mouths back ‘I’ll explain later’ and stands next to Chris to get his attention.  
   
“Hey,” Matt greets him.  
   
Chris quickly stands up straighter and faces him.  
   
“Hey.”  
   
“So what brought you here?”  
   
“Just—just um… I-I thought that you would be manning the kissing booth for the whole week and then I didn’t see you and I thought--”  
   
Matt cuts his rambling down by getting straight to the point, “And you thought that you can come here every day for the whole week to kiss me without exchanging our numbers?”  
   
Afraid to say anything that might be considered to sound stupid, Chris just nods and apologises.  
   
“Sorry. About that,” he says, then quickly adds, “And not giving you my phone number. I’d really thought that you’d be here for the whole week for me to have enough time muster up the courage to ask you out.”  
   
Hearing that, Matt smiles softly at him.  
   
“It’s alright. Can’t blame you for coming back to me for my irresistible charm and my lips,” that gets Matt a pinch on his side by Kelly. “I was just helping my friend Kelly here to take over the kissing booth as a temporary volunteer while she was down with a stomach bug.”  
   
“O-Oh.”  
   
“While I’m fine with you that donating to charity which is good and all, I’d rather that you use your money to buy me a drink instead.”  
   
Chris is taken aback with pleasant surprise. “You want me to ask you out?”  
   
He could go snarky at Chris and tell him that he’s asking him to come and kiss Kelly while he watches, but he puts that idea down and instead says, “More like suggesting a better avenue in getting to know each other. And yeah, I am. I’m free this whole day. Are you?”  
   
“Y-Yeah, I’m free right now as well.”

Just as he is about to leave with Chris for a suitable place for a date, Kelly pulled him in briefly to whisper to him, “I want all the details tomorrow,” and had him promise to actually do so before letting him go. And then he’s off and away with Chris on tow as soon as possible. Right now, he doesn’t care where they’ll end up, he’s more than happy with the results. He just scored a date with the cute guy that he’d been kissing for the last three days.

**Author's Note:**

> This is from PANICPALOOZA from Museslash in LJ, with said prompt that took me time to figure out what to write. I'm just going to straight out say that this story is partly based on a fic that does feature a kissing booth as its focus and that it was a Belldom fic. I can't recall what the title is nor who the author is, but what it is similar between this story and the one that I mentioned is that it's mainly focused around the idea of the kissing booth. With that out of the way, enjoy and comment!


End file.
